Dark Shades
by painted.inkblot
Summary: Why had Whitestorm asked her? Everyone must have seen her with Darkstripe at one point or another... DarkstripeBrindleface. [oneshot]


**A/N: An explanation for this fic: In the redone warriorcats . com, there are family trees for ThunderClan. In them, it says Whitestorm is the father of Ashfur and Ferncloud. I'm a Darkstripe x Brindleface fan, so obviously I didn't like that. So this fic is basically me letting out my feelings about that.**

**Disclaimer: If it was mine, the family trees would have Brindleface linked to Darkstripe.**

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**Dark Shades**

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"I love you, Brindleface."

Brindleface smiled at the speaker, rubbing her cheek against his. "I love you too, Darkstripe," she replied, purring.

He went over to greet his friend, Tigerclaw, and Brindleface walked over to the fresh-kill pile, picking out a plump thrush.

"Oops!" Brindleface, carrying her thrush over to the warriors den, bumped into Whitestorm, slipping and falling to the ground. The dust rose around her and coated her. Darkstripe, across the camp, saw her and chuckled a little. Brindleface grinned back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Brindleface!" Whitestorm said, bending down. "Let me help you."

Before Brindleface could protest she was fine, his tail was on her back, sweeping the dirt off."

"Er, thank you."

"It was nothing," Whitestorm said, smiling.

Brindleface continued over to the den, and sat down, hungrily gulping down her thrush. As she did, the tabby felt a gaze burning into her. It was probably Darkstripe, going to comment on her fall. She turned around. It was Whitestorm, yellow eyes widened.

"What is it?" she asked, finishing the last of her food.

"Uh…" Whitestorm paused, looking down at his paws. A few fox-lengths away, Darkstripe had stopped talking to Tigerclaw, staring at Whitestorm, his eyes narrowed.

"Would-would you like to carry my kits?" Whitestorm breathed, looking from side to side.

Darkstripe had froze, eyes widened and mouth wide open. Tigerclaw looked indifferent. Brindleface's eyes widened for a moment, and she made a small, incoherent sound. Why had Whitestorm asked her? She was going to have kits with Darkstripe. She loved him!

"Did you say yes?" Hopefulness flickered in Whitestorm's eyes, and his expectant, nervous grin made Brindleface desperate to look anywhere but at him or Darkstripe, who was now looking at Whitestorm as if he wanted to kill him. Brindleface's eyes shifted from side to side, closing, but even with her eyes closed, the image of Whitestorm's hopeful face was there, as if closing in on her.

The tabby she-cat looked around. Many other cats were now watching, and Brindleface wished they would just go away. Couldn't they see how she felt?

Brindleface looked at Whitestorm. Still his smile lingered, and Brindleface knew she couldn't turn him down. He was such a respected warrior, and it would be rude. She could have Whitestorm's kits once, then be Darkstripe's mate the rest of her life, couldn't she?

_No,_ a little voice in the back of her head said._ You know Darkstripe would hate it. He wants you to be his mate and his only. He won't think you love him._

Brindleface smelled Bluestar. She was watching now, too. They all thought she'd say yes. And she had to.

"Y-y-y-…" Brindleface stuttered, her eyes straying to Darkstripe one more time. His expression was stony, his eyes cold. She knew what he was saying without him doing it aloud. But she was compelled to say yes, she had to.

"Y-yes," Brindleface said weakly. "I said yes."

Whitestorm smiled, and licked her cheek. He thought she was happy, but she wasn't. Her eyes betrayed her, and Darkstripe coldly looked at her. She knew what the expression said this time, too.

It said, _I don't know you anymore. We never laughed together. We never smiled together. We never loved. _

Brindleface knew that look would stay with her the rest of her life.

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"Why?"

Brindleface hesitated. "Because…because…"

"See?" Darkstripe growled. "You have no reason. You did it to hurt me!"

"I didn't!" Brindleface cried. "They all wanted me to! I had to!"

"And you couldn't have disobeyed?" Darkstripe snarled.

"Darkstripe," Brindleface mewed softly, "I love you."

"The feeling," Darkstripe said harshly, walking over to Tigerclaw, "is not returned."

Brindleface noticed there was one tiny dark spot on the ground. For some reason, she bent down and licked it.

It tasted salty.

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Weeks passed, and Brindleface was now very plump. She had been in the nursery for quite some time, and Whitestorm came in constantly to talk with her and lick her and comfort her. Brindleface liked it a bit, but she couldn't lie to herself: The touch of Darkstripe would have been better.

But they didn't know each other any more. They didn't talk, and whenever Brindleface asked a cat to get him to the nursery, he never came. She asked Tigerclaw once, and he returned saying Darkstripe asked why he should visit a queen he didn't know.

The moss and ground around her were wetter and darker than usual after that. Whitestorm didn't notice. He was too busy sharing tongues with her, or trying. Brindleface stared out of the nursery while he did, her eyes glassy with the soon-to-come tears that never came.

Finally, after weeks, after moons, the day came. Brindleface yowled in pain, as Yellowfang gave her herbs and tried to soothe her, and Whitestorm stood by licking her and reassuring her it would be over soon.

After what seemed like days, it was, Brindleface was breathing heavily, her heart beating wildly, but she no longer had the urge to scream. Beside her were two small lumps of gray fur. Brindleface looked down at them lovingly. There was a pang in her heart, for the kits were Whitestorm's. She pretended they were Darkstripe's, that Whitestorm was a smaller tom with pale gray fur and darker stripes. In a way, it helped.

"What will their names be?" purred Whitestorm, licking them.

As much as she tried, Brindleface couldn't turn Whitestorm's voice into Darkstripe's. She could almost hear his voice, struggling in her mind, but Whitestorm's overpowered his.

"Ashkit," Brindleface said quietly, her tail touching the male kit lightly. "And Fernkit," she whispered, tail touching the female.

"Beautiful names," Whitestorm said.

Brindleface didn't respond. She had just noticed something.

Fernkit's pale gray fur was the exact same shade as Darkstripe's. And though Ashkit's eyes only opened for a sliver of a second, Brindleface was positive she had seen Darkstripe's dark blue eyes.

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**A/N: Yes, they were Darkstripe's kits! –stands firmly in the state of Denial- **


End file.
